Viral cat predicts Mexico vs Bafana Bafana World Cup opener winner

Thursday, June 11, officially marks the start of the 2026 World Cup season and the excitement, both online and on the ground, is almost tangible.

It’s been 16 years since Simphiwe Tshabalala’s opening goal united the nation. Soccer fans and patriots are hyped for today’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa, set to take place at the iconic Estadio Azteca.

Fans across the world have long been predicting the score between the two teams and sharing who they are rooting for. It turns out humans are not the only ones with prediction skills. An internet-famous cat, known online as “Nimbus the King”, has also weighed in on the highly anticipated clash.

@nimbus_pronos Nimbus prediction for World Club opener! 😾🔮 #mexico #southafrica #worldcup #fifa #nimbuspronos ♬ original sound – FIFA World Cup

While fans across the globe have been busy debating score predictions and backing their favourite teams, it seems humans are not the only ones trying to predict the outcome.

Nimbus has weighed in on the highly anticipated Group A encounter, and his prediction may not be what South African supporters want to hear.

The social media sensation has built a following for predicting the outcomes of football matches. The cat, which has amassed millions of likes online, is typically presented with bowls representing the possible outcomes of a match.

For the World Cup opener, Nimbus was given three options: a South Africa win, a Mexico win, or a draw.

After briefly surveying the options, the cat confidently made his way to the bowl representing Mexico, effectively predicting a victory for the host nation.

The cat has previously gained attention for correctly predicting results in competitions including the UEFA Champions League, Premier League and AFCON, making his latest prediction a hot topic among football fans.

Nimbus is not the only animal getting involved in World Cup fever.

Over in Mexico, two elephants at Guadalajara Zoo were also tasked with predicting the outcome of the opening fixture. The animals were presented with grass placed on opposite sides of a makeshift football field, one representing Mexico and the other South Africa.

The elephants wasted little time before making their choice and heading towards the Mexican side, adding another prediction in favour of the hosts.

According to zoo officials, the exercise forms part of a fun tradition of using animals to make tournament predictions, something football fans may remember from the famous Paul the Octopus during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Paul became one of the tournament’s biggest stars after correctly predicting eight consecutive match results, including Spain’s victory over the Netherlands in the final.

Whether Nimbus and the elephants know something football fans don’t remains to be seen, but South African supporters will be hoping the animals get this one wrong.

Tonight’s match marks Bafana Bafana’s first World Cup appearance since 2010 and kicks off at 9pm. The opening ceremony is scheduled to begin at 7.30pm.

Viewers in South Africa can catch the match on SuperSport channels 201, 202, 203 and 235, while free-to-air viewers can tune in on SABC 1 and SABC 3. 

Adding to the excitement, Grammy-winning star Tyla is expected to take centre stage during the opening celebrations and will perform the South African national anthem before kick-off.

With football, music and national pride all coming together tonight, the countdown to game time is officially over.